Title
Solid-state ion recognition strategy using 2D hexagonal mesophase silica monolithic platform: a smart two-in-one approach for rapid and selective sensing of Cd2+ and Hg2+ ions
Author
Aswanidevi Kongasseri, Naveen Kumar Sompalli, Varad A. Modak, Ankita Mohanty, Sivaraman Nagarajan, C.V.S. Brahmananda Rao, Prabhakaran Deivasigamani, Akhila Maheswari Mohan
Year
2020
Journal
Microchimica Acta
Abstract
The possibility of a multifunctional and reversible solid-state colorimetric sensor is described for the identification and quantification of ultra-trace Cd2+ and Hg2+ ions, using a honeycomb-structured mesoporous silica monolith conjoined with an indigenous chromoionophoric probe, i.e., 4-hexyl-6-((5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)diazenyl)benzene-1,3-diol (HMTAR). The amphiphilic probe is characterized using NMR, FT-IR, HR-MS, and CHNS elemental analysis. The structural and surface properties of the monolithic template have been characterized using p-XRD, XPS, TEM-SAED, SEM-EDAX, FT-IR, TG-DTA, and N2 isotherm analysis. The unique structural features and distinct analytical properties of the solid-state sensor proffer a strong response in selectively signaling the target analytes. The probe (HMTAR) exhibits a 1:1 stoichiometric binding ratio with the target ions (Cd2+ & Hg2+), with a visual color change from pale orange to dark red for Cd2+ (525 nm, λmax), and to purple for Hg2+ (530 nm, λmax), respectively, in the pH range 7.0–8.0. The influence of various analytical criteria such as pH, temperature, response kinetics, critical probe concentration, sensor quantity, matrix tolerance, linear response range, reusability, the limit of detection (LOD), and quantification (LOQ) has been investigated to validate the sensor performance. The proposed method displays a linear signal response in the concentration range 5–100 μg/L, with a LOD value of 2.67 and 2.90 μg/L, for Cd2+ and Hg2+, respectively. The real-world efficacy of the sensor material has been tested with real and synthetic water samples with a significant recovery value of ≥ 99.2%, to authenticate its data reliability and reproducibility (RSD ≤ 3.53%).
Instrument
V-670
Keywords
Absorption, Diffuse reflection, Color analysis, Chemical stability, Ligand binding, Solid state, Quantitation, Sensors, Materials